Job 40

Job: What Can I Say?

1 Then the Lord said to Job, 2 “Will the faultfinder ^acontend with the Almighty?
Let him who ^breproves God answer it.”

3 Then Job answered the Lord and said, 4 “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?
I ^clay my hand on my mouth.
5 “Once I have spoken, and ^dI will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”

God Questions Job

6 Then the ^eLord answered Job out of the storm and said, 7 “Now ^fgird up your loins like a man;
I will ^gask you, and you instruct Me.
8 “Will you really ^hannul My judgment?
Will you ⁱcondemn Me ^jthat you may be justified?
9 “Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you ^kthunder with a voice like His?

10 ^l“Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
11 “Pour out ^mthe overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is ⁿproud, and make him low.
12 “Look on everyone who is proud, and ^ohumble him,
And ^ptread down the wicked ^{▼▼ Lit under them}where they stand.
13 ^r“Hide them in the dust together;
Bind ^{▼▼ Or their faces}them in the hidden place.
14 “Then I will also ^{▼▼ Or praise you}confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.

God’s Power Shown in Creatures

15 “Behold now, ^{▼▼ Or the hippopotamus}Behemoth, which ^vI made ^{▼▼ Lit with}as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16 “Behold now, his strength in his loins
And his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 “He bends his tail like a cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 “His bones are tubes of bronze;
His ^{▼▼ Lit bones}limbs are like bars of iron.

19 “He is the ^yfirst of the ways of God;
Let his ^zmaker bring near his sword.
20 “Surely the mountains ^aabring him food,
And all the beasts of the field ^abplay there.
21 “Under the lotus plants he lies down,
In the covert of the reeds and the marsh.
22 “The lotus plants cover him with ^{▼▼ Lit his shade}shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
23 “If a river ^{▼▼ Or oppresses}rages, he is not alarmed;
He is confident, though the ^aeJordan rushes to his mouth.
24 “Can anyone capture him ^{▼▼ Lit in his eyes}when he is on watch,
With ^{▼▼ Lit snares}barbs can anyone pierce his nose?